What is the relationship between the intake of animal protein products and selected health outcomes?

Summary of the review:

This family of question considers animal protein products, including red meat, processed meat and poultry. Although milk and milk products are sources of animal protein, their relationship to selected health outcomes is addressed in a separate question. Seafood, another source of animal protein, is discussed in detail in the Fatty Acids and Cholesterol and Food Safety and Technologysections. The health outcomes considered were type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension (HTN), body weight, and colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer. The search captured literature published from 2000 to present. This date range was selected because the question was not addressed by the 2005 Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee (DGAC). Cross-sectional studies were only included in the review on body weight due to the limited number of studies available regarding this outcome. Further, the Subcommittee (SC) only considered prospective cohort studies for the cancer outcome. The SC limited their review to studies that included healthy participants (e.g., studies that only included participants with hyperlipidemia were excluded).

Systematic Review Questions: (Click or hover over links below for more information.)

Limited evidence from cohort studies shows there is no association between the intake of animal protein products and overall breast cancer risk. However in sub-groups of breast cancer patients, limited evidence suggested a relationship between the intake of animal protein products and risk of developing breast cancer.